British Virgin Islands

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Activities

The deep port in Road Town permits some of the largest commercial luxury liners to dock impressively close to land. Year-round snorkeling and scuba diving entices tourists to take spontaneous excursions to the BVI beaches. Catamarans, sail boats and yachts are all available for private charter. At 29 kilometers in length, the Horseshoe Reef on Anegada Island is the largest barrier coral reef in the Caribbean Sea and 4th largest in the world. The Baths at Virgin Gorda Island are a famous natural attraction with warm, shallow waters among enormous granite rocks. Sporting activities such as golf, tennis, wind-surfing, para-sailing and jet-skiing are plentiful. Local boutiques are usually open for late afternoon or evening shopping and regional chefs serve a wide variety of Caribbean dishes and fine european wines.

Cruise Ships in Road Town, Baths at Virgin Gorda Island, Shipwreck Scuba Diving

Climate

The British Virgin Islands enjoy a balmy tropical climate with temperate weather patterns moderated by easterly trade winds. The BVI do not experience four distinct seasons, but rather a long summer and mild winter with only a two hour deviation in sunlight between the solstices. The temperature averages around 28°C and varies little throughout the year as winters rarely go below 25°C and summers don't often exceed 32°C. Annual rainfall measures around 1 meter with two-thirds falling during the months of September through November. The outskirts of a hurricane may occasionally reach the islands bringing heavy rains and rough seas, but may only make landfall on one or two occasions in a person's lifetime.

White Bay and Community Harbor

Culture

The ancestry of British Virgin Islanders can be traced to West Africa including Nigeria, Senegal, the Congo's, Gambia and Ghana; from Europe in Denmark, the Netherlands and France as well as some North American influence. Its common for natives to "island hop" and trace their family heritage throughout the Caribbean. Much of the foods are imported and tend to be served spicy. "Fungi" is a staple diet in the BVI comprised of boiled cornmeal and okra cooked to a thick consistency. Interestingly, Fungi is also the name given to a regional style of music improvisation using washboards. Traditional island "quadrille" dancing is common alongside the meringue and salsa. Soccer and cricket are popular sports played regularly.

Restaurant View and Bitter Ends Green Beach

Economy
&
Financial and Offshore Services

The British Virgin Islands has one of the most stable and prosperous economies in the Caribbean. Although the BVI export some commodities like rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals, gravel and sand, the twin pillars of the economy are tourism and financial services. Tourism accounts for 45% of the national income supporting a multitude of local businesses owners and their employees. Nearly 1 Million tourists vacation in the British Virgin Islands annually, fully half of which arrive on cruise ships. Licensing fees for offshore business companies account for 52% of government revenues. There are more than 500,000 "active" companies currently registered in the BVI. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) is the regulatory authority for financial services business operating in and from within the BVI. According to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, "Problems associated with drug trafficking are potentially the most serious threat to stability in the BVI." However, the United Kingdom National Audit Office reported that it is better equipped through its Financial Investigation Agency to investigate financial crime in the BVI than many other offshore centers. The British Virgin Islands offshore industry is compliant with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Asset Protection Services International, SRL offers incorporation services for Business Companies in the British Virgin Islands.

Mosquito Island, Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor, Road Town Old Government House

Geography

The British Virgin Islands are in the Caribbean Sea, east of Puerto Rico and adjacent to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands, spans 20 kilometers in length by 5 kilometers in width and is home to 21,000 people out of an overall population of 25,000. Of the nearly 60 small islands, cays and islets, roughly 15 of the islands are inhabited, such as Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda and Anegada. Most of the islands are volcanic in origin and have characteristically rugged terrain. Anegada is geologically distinct from the other BVI islands in that it is composed of limestone and coral. With less than 200 inhabitants, Anegada is incredibly flat with the highest elevation reaching a mere 8.5 meters above sea level.

Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda and Anegada Islands

History

The British Virgin Islands are believed to have been inhabited by Amerindians as far back as 1,500 B.C. The South American Arawak were credited with the first settlements around 100 B.C. where they lived until the Caribs from the Lesser Antilles Islands displaced them sometime in 500 A.D. The aggressive nature of the Caribs earned such a reputation as to have the Caribbean Sea named after them. Christopher Columbus was the first european explorer to have sighted the islands In 1493. The formal name he gave to the islands was "Santa Ursula las Once Mil Virgenes" meaning, "Saint Ursula and Her 11,000 Virgins". It was later shortened to "Las Virgenes" or "The Virgins". For almost 200 years the English, Dutch, French, Danish and even pirates fought for ownership of the islands until England finally gained control with the capture of Tortola in 1672. The (British) Virgins Islands were then used as a strategic military port for decades. The English planted sugar cane fields and forced African slave labor to harvest the crop plantations until the Slave Abolition Act in 1833. It wasn't until 1967 that the islands gained their autonomy, retaining the status of a British Overseas Territory with a local "Premier" to oversee foreign affairs and economic issues.

Trunk Beach and Panorama